Instead of Daniel in the lion’s den, the theme down the stretch was the Broken Arrow Tigers in Daniel’s den.

Playing his final prep career game in the Bruin Fieldhouse, Schroeder tallied two backdoor layups — and grabbed a crucial free throw — in the contest’s final 90 seconds.

He finished with nine points on the night, in perhaps his finest all-around performance of the season.

"He played really well, really, really hard," said Bruin head coach Clent Stewart. "He was attacking the offensive boards … and made some free throws. It’s great to see a guy work hard and develop. He didn’t have any varsity minutes last year."

Ben Crider scored 14 points to lead the Tigers (8-15), who ended the season on a four-game losing streak, and finished in next-to-last place (3-11) in the conference standings, while the Bruins (4-10) settled in the next spot higher.

Coming off back-to-back losses — by a combined total of seven points — Bartlesville went to war Friday with an all-senior lineup in the opening minutes.

Even so, the Bruins powered to an early 8-6 lead — with Parker producing all eight points, on a contested layup and two three-pointers. Ogans assisted on Parker’s first trey; Schroeder on the other.

After Bruin head coach Stewart inserted Tanner and Archambo in the game, the Bruins pushed out to a four-point lead, 12-8, on Tanner’s hook shot from the right block area.

The end of the period saw the Bruins still ahead by four points, 14-10.

But, the scenario would soon grow dark — and dreary and blank — for the Bruins.

To put it in simple words, they didn’t score a point in the second quarter.

That lapse of net action opened the door for Broken Arrow to burst to a seven-point halftime lead, 21-14.

Broken Arrow ended the half on an explosive note when Crider buried a three-pointer at the buzzer.

But, Bartlesville made a 180-turn in the second half, outscoring Broken Arrow, 32-22.

Stewart credited his team’s feisty man-to-man defense as the key.

"We defended well today," he explained. "We scored zero points in the second quarter and still won. We forced them into 22 turnovers. Our guys showed up tonight."

The Bruins opened their second half snap-back on a bucket by Thompson, set up by Parker’s steal.

Slowly — but steadily — Bartlesville pursued the Tigers like a flock of geese chasing the fading sun at dusk.

The Bruins pulled even, 25-25, on an offensive rebound and put back by Tanner.

Following a Broken Arrow turnover, Archambo recorded a basket to push the Bruins into the lead, 27-25.

Bartlesville then pulled out to a 10-point bulge, 35-25, heading into the final period.

But, guzzling from their own deep well of character, the Tigers displayed plenty of fight.

With just under four minutes remaining, the Tigers trailed by only seven points, 37-30, and were heating up.

But, Schroeder canned two free throws — with 3:35 remaining — to take the lead back to nine points, 39-30.

Several seconds later, Tanner dropped in two charity offerings to increase the gap to 11, 41-30.

However, Broken Arrow then strung together a 9-0 run — on three three-pointers by Crider — and had a chance to grab the lead after Crider stole the ball back.

However, his three-pointer was off target and the Bruin clung to a 41-39 lead, with just under two minutes left.

They upped their lead to 43-39 when Schroeder made an uncontested layup off a baseline cut and no-look feed from Tanner, which caused the Bruin students to mildly go crazy.

Broken Arrow answered with a two-pointer.

Schroeder again found a gap on the backside and scored — with Thompson delivering the assist — to provide the Bruins a 45-41 lead with under ticks left on the clock.

With just 5.6 seconds remaining — and Broken Arrow back within two points, 45-43 — Tanner missed two free throws. But, Schroeder leapt into a crowd of scrambling players to grab the offensive rebound and draw a foul.

He made one of his free throws — with 3.8 seconds left — to make it a three-point game, 46-43.

Broken Arrow then managed to get off a good look — from about 40 feet out — in the final second. The shot went partway into the cylinder and bounced out, securing Bartlesville’s victory.

Despite the challenges and adversity of the season, the Bruins had carved out for themselves a happy memory in their final home game.